Apparatuses, systems, and methods for removing and installing a slasher tooth in a saw blade

ABSTRACT

An apparatus, system, and method for withdrawing slasher teeth from a slasher saw are provided. The apparatus has a handle, and a forked portion is connected to one end of the handle. A gap is formed between two prongs of the forked portion. A floating shank positioner is positioned at least partially within the gap. At least one common hole is formed through the two prongs of the forked portion. When the slasher tooth is connected to the at least one common hole, pivoting of the handle removes the slasher tooth from the pocket of the saw.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.17/347,140 filed Jun. 14, 2021 entitled “Apparatuses, Systems, andMethods for Removing and Installing a Slasher Tooth in a Saw Blade”,which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/039,687filed Jun. 16, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.63/050,966 filed Jul. 13, 2020, both of which entitled, “Apparatuses,Systems, and Methods for Removing and Installing a Slasher Tooth in aSaw Blade,” the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to tools and moreparticularly is related to apparatuses, systems, and methods forremoving and installing a slasher tooth in a saw blade.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

Large, circular saws are often used to transform raw logs into smallerpieces of wood, such that those smaller pieces of wood can be used tomake various wood products, such as lumber, posts, or the like. One typeof circular saw is referred to as a ‘slasher saw’ which has a saw bodyhaving a plurality of grooved pockets which are sized for the toothshank positioned around the circumference or center hole of the sawbody. A saw body has pockets against the circumference, where theremovable slasher tooth is insertable into each of the pockets and heldin place with a rivet positioned to engage the shank of the slashertooth and the saw body. An exterior edge of the slasher tooth has acutting edge, and as the saw is operated, the cutting edges become dullor broken and are in need of replacing. Replacement involves removingthe rivet, then removing the entire slasher tooth, installing a newslasher tooth, and a new rivet.

FIGS. 1A-1C are illustrations of the slasher tooth removal process, inaccordance with the prior art. FIG. 1A illustrates the saw body 10 withthe slasher tooth 12 positioned within the saw body pocket 14. Theslasher tooth 12 has a cutting edge 16 which extends radially beyond thesaw body 10. A rivet 18A holds the slasher tooth 12 within the pocket14. Removal of the slasher tooth 12 can be achieved with a rivet removaltool 20, as shown in FIG. 1B. The tool 20 has a U-shaped design whichfits about both sides of the saw body 10, and has a threaded pin 22which can be rotatably engaged to apply a force against the rivet 18. Asthe user rotates the pin 22, it moves towards the rivet 18B to push itout of the saw body 10 and slasher tooth 12. Once the rivet 18B isremoved, a user can then use a pin and hammer, as shown in FIG. 1C, toremove the slasher tooth 12 from the pocket 14 of the saw body 10. Theuser would position the pin within the hole evacuated by the removedrivet 18A or 18B and apply blows against the pin in a radial directionalong the saw body 10. These repeated blows transfer the force to theslasher tooth 12, which is then removed from the pocket 14 of the sawbody 10. The user can then install a new slasher tooth 12 and a newrivet 18A. This process is repeated for all of the needed slasher teeth12 in the saw.

This process for removing slasher teeth is very time consuming, oftentaking many hours to replace the teeth on just one blade. The process isalso cumbersome and inaccurate. Hammers or similar tools are usuallyneeded to force the materials to the desired position. This can causedamage to other parts of the saw and naturally, cause frustration andinjury in the installer. It can also be a fire hazard if a user isrequired to use a torch or similar implement to aid in removal of therivet 18A or 18B.

Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to addressthe aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an apparatus, system, andmethod for withdrawing slasher teeth from a saw. Briefly described, inarchitecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, can beimplemented as follows. The apparatus has a handle, and a forked portionis connected to one end of the handle. A gap is formed between twoprongs of the forked portion. A floating shank positioner is positionedat least partially within the gap. At least one common hole is formedthrough the two prongs of the forked portion. When the slasher tooth isconnected to the at least one common hole, pivoting of the handleremoves the slasher tooth from the pocket of the saw.

The present disclosure can also be viewed as providing a system forwithdrawing slasher teeth from a slasher saw body. Briefly described, inarchitecture, one embodiment of the system, among others, can beimplemented as follows. A system for withdrawing a slasher tooth from apocket of a slasher saw includes a slasher saw having a saw body with atleast one slasher tooth positioned within at least one saw body pocketof the slasher saw. An apparatus for withdrawing the slasher tooth fromthe saw body pocket of the slasher saw has a handle, and a forkedportion connected to one end of the handle. A gap is formed between twoprongs of the forked portion. A floating shank positioner is positionedat least partially within the gap. At least one common hole is formedthrough the two prongs of the forked portion. At least one pin isconnectable between the slasher tooth and the prongs of the forkedportion. When the slasher tooth is connected to the prongs, pivoting ofthe handle removes the slasher tooth from the saw body pocket.

The present disclosure can also be viewed as providing methods ofwithdrawing slasher teeth from a saw. In this regard, one embodiment ofsuch a method, among others, can be broadly summarized by the followingsteps: providing a slasher saw having a saw body with at least oneslasher tooth positioned within at least one saw body pocket of theslasher saw; providing an apparatus for withdrawing the slasher toothfrom the saw body pocket of the slasher saw, the apparatus having: ahandle, a forked portion connected to one end of the handle, wherein agap is formed between two prongs of the forked portion, a floating shankpositioner positioned at least partially within the gap, and at leastone common hole formed through the two prongs of the forked portion;connecting at least one pin between the slasher tooth and the prongs ofthe forked portion; and pivoting of the handle relative to the slashersaw, thereby removing the slasher tooth from the saw body pocket.

Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art uponexamination of the following drawings and detailed description. It isintended that all such additional systems, methods, features, andadvantages be included within this description, be within the scope ofthe present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with referenceto the following drawings. The components in the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in thedrawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding partsthroughout the several views.

FIGS. 1A-1C are illustrations of the slasher tooth removal process, inaccordance with the prior art.

FIGS. 2-6 are illustrations of an apparatus for removing and installingslasher teeth in a saw, in accordance with a first exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7-9 are illustrations of the rotatable cylinder and engagementdevices within the apparatus for removing and installing slasher teethin a saw of FIGS. 2-6, in accordance with the first exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIGS. 10-11 are illustrations of part of the apparatus for removing andinstalling slasher teeth in a saw of FIGS. 2-6 in use with a slashertooth, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 12-15 are illustrations of the apparatus for removing andinstalling slasher teeth in a saw of FIGS. 2-6 in use with a slashertooth, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 16-17D are drawings of an apparatus for removing and installingslasher teeth in a saw, in accordance with the first exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a labeled illustration of the apparatus for removing andinstalling slasher teeth in a saw of FIGS. 16-17D, in accordance withthe first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 19-20C are illustrations of an apparatus for withdrawing a slashertooth and shank from a pocket in a saw, in accordance with a secondexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To overcome the deficiencies identified relative to FIGS. 1A-1C, thesubject disclosure provides an apparatus for removing and installingslasher teeth in a saw. FIGS. 2-6 are illustrations of an apparatus forremoving and installing slasher teeth in a saw 100, in accordance with afirst exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus forremoving and installing slasher teeth in a saw 100, which may bereferred to herein as ‘apparatus 100’ includes a first body 110 and asecond body 120 having a space 102 formed therebetween. A slasher tooth12 (FIGS. 10-15) is positionable within the space 102. At least onelocator pin 130 is connected to at least one of the first and secondbody 110, 120. The at least one locator pin 130 is for locating theapparatus 100 relative to the slasher tooth 12. A rotatable cylinder 140is positioned in at least one of the first or second body 110, 120. Atleast two engagement devices 150 are positioned within the rotatablecylinder 140. Actuation of one of the engagement devices 150 causesremoval or insertion of a slasher tooth rivet 18 (FIGS. 10-15).

FIGS. 7-9 are illustrations of the rotatable cylinder 140 and engagementdevices 150 within the apparatus 100 of FIGS. 2-6, in accordance withthe first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 10-11are illustrations of part of the apparatus 100 of FIGS. 2-6 in use witha slasher tooth, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. FIGS. 12-15 are illustrations of the apparatus100 of FIGS. 2-6 in use with a slasher tooth, in accordance with thefirst exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

With reference to FIGS. 2-15 together, the apparatus 100 may be used toremove and/or install a slasher tooth 12 from a saw body 10. Inparticular, the apparatus 100 may be used to accurately and efficientlyremove the slasher tooth rivet 18 which is holding the slasher tooth 12within the pocket 14 of the saw body 10. As shown in the figures, theapparatus 100 includes a two-part body design with a first body 110 orfirst portion which is spaced a distance 102 from a second body 120 orsecond portion. The first and second bodies 110, 120 may be removablyconnectable to each other through the use of a threaded fastener 112 anda biasing device, such as a spring 114. The spring 114 biases the firstand second body 110, 120 away from one another, thereby creating thespace 102, while the threaded fastener 112 (or any other type offastener) prevents the first and second body 110, 120 from beingseparated. When the apparatus 100 is positioned around a saw body 10(FIGS. 12-15), the user may actuate the fastener 112 to clamp the firstand second body 110, 120 around the saw body 10. The apparatus 100 alsoincludes one or more alignment devices 116, such as alignment pins (FIG.2), which ensures that the first body 110 and the second body 120 are incorrect alignment with one another.

Additionally, the apparatus 100 also includes one or more contactspacers 118, and preferably at least two contact spacers 118 positionedon each of the first and second body 110, 120 in a position proximate tothe saw body 10 when the apparatus 100 is in use. The contact spacers118 may contact the saw body 10 and eliminate twisting of the apparatus100 when the compressive force is applied to the rivet. The contactspacers 118 may be positioned substantially opposite one another, suchthat when the force is applied to the rivet, the contact spacer 118 onthe first body 110 substantially matches the location of the contactspacer 118 on the second body 120. Additionally contact spacers 118 mayalso be used, such as in a location near the fastener 112 or between thefastener 112 and the terminating end of the apparatus 100. The shape ofthe contact spacer 118 may be substantially cylindrical, as shown insome figures, or cuboid, as shown in other figures. Any number,location, or shape of the contact spacers 118 is considered within thescope of the present disclosure.

As best shown in FIGS. 10-11, the apparatus 100 includes at least onelocator pin 130, which may be positioned in a shank tooth locating holeat the end of the tooth 12. There may commonly be at least two locatorpins 130, which are used to correctly locate the apparatus 100 to theslasher tooth 12. For example, one locator pin 130 may be positioned toengage with an aperture at the distal end of the shank of the slashertooth 12 while a second locator pin 130 may be positioned tosubstantially abut the cutting edge 16 of the tooth 12. The locator pins130 may engage with the tooth 12 snugly, such that the apparatus 100 canbe held in a substantially stationary position relative to the tooth 12.In some situations, the apparatus 100 may be held in a radial positionrelative to the tooth 12 through the locator pin 130 positioned withinthe aperture of the slasher tooth 12. The apparatus 100 may be movablein a radial position around this aperture such that the second locatorpin 130 can be positioned against the face of the tooth 12, below thecutting edge 16. In this way, the apparatus 100 is still movable, to adegree, relative to the tooth 12, but can be easily moved to the desiredposition about the tooth 12.

The rotatable cylinder 140 is a structure which is movable within eachof the first and second bodies 110, 120, respectively, in order tocorrectly position the engagement devices 150 relative to the positionof the rivet 18. Each of the rotatable cylinders 140 may extend beyondthe rear face of the bodies 110, 120, respectively, to allow the user tograsp the outer portion of the cylinder 140 and rotate it relative tothe bodies 110, 120. Labels or other identifiers may be positioned onthe outer surfaces of the cylinders 140 to allow the user to gauge theposition of the engagement devices 150 contained therein, such as shownin FIGS. 4 and 6. The cylinders 140 may be retained in a stationaryposition within the bodies 110, 120 by the use of a pin 142, which isinsertable through one of the bodies 110, 120 and into the cylinder 140.These pins 142 should depress to the lock side (in or out) of thecylinder 140 and may be removed from the bodies 110, 120 when rotationof the cylinder 140 is desired, and then reinserted into the bodies 110,120 when the desired position of the cylinder 140 is achieved.

Generally, there may be two positions for the cylinder 140: a rivetremoval position and a rivet insertion position. These two positionscorrespond to an alignment of the engagement devices 150 with the rivet18. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the engagement devices 150 mayinclude one structure for pushing the rivet out, which is referred to asa driver. This is shown as the top engagement device in FIG. 7. Theother structure is for compressing a new rivet during installation ofthe rivet 18. This device is referred to as an anvil, and is shown inthe lower position in FIG. 7. The driver may have a smaller diameterpoint which allows it to make contact with the rivet 18 and force it outof the rivet hole, whereas the anvil has a blunted cone shape whichmanipulates the exposed edge of the rivet 18 to increase or flare itsdiameter, thereby preventing it from being removed. Other shapes andother structures for the engagement device 150 may also be used.

In use, the user may move the engagement devices 150 with an appropriatetool, such as a ratchet driver or torque wrench which is connectable toone of the engagement devices 150 at a time and can cause the engagementdevice 150 to rotate within the cylinder 140. A threaded interfacebetween the engagement device 150 and the cylinder 140 may allow fortranslational movement of the engagement device 150, thereby causing itto move into or retract from the space 102 between the bodies 110, 120.While one cylinder 140 on one body 110 may carry the driver and anvilengagement devices, the opposing cylinder 140 on the other body 120(FIG. 8) may have receiving engagement devices 150. This may includeanother anvil (not shown in FIG. 8) which corresponds to the anvil inthe first body 110, thereby allowing for compression of the rivet 18from both sides during installation. For removal of the rivet 18, thesecond engagement device may include a clear hole (shown in FIG. 8) toallow the rivet 18 to fall out of the cylinder 140 when it has beenpushed out by the driver.

To use the apparatus 100 to remove a rivet 18, the user may release thefastener 112 to allow for enlargement of the space 102 between the firstand second bodies 110, 120. The user may then position the apparatus 100on the tooth 12, such that the locator pins 130 are positioned withinthe aperture of the tooth 12 and against the edge of the tooth 12 (shownin FIG. 13). The user may then ensure that the cylinder 140 ispositioned in the correct alignment of the engagement device 150 to therivet. For removal of a rivet 18, the correct alignment would be whenthe drive is positioned over the rivet 18 on one side, and the opposingside of the rivet is aligned with the clear hole in the other cylinder140. The user then clamps the first body 110 to the second body 120 withthe fastener 112, which secures it in place. Then, the user uses awrench or similar device to move the engagement device 150 (the driver)into the space 102, thereby contacting the rivet 18 with sufficientforce to push it out of the tooth 12 and saw body 10. The apparatus 100can then be removed from the tooth 18 and the tooth 18 can be removedfrom the saw body 10.

For installation of the rivet 18, the user places a new rivet 18 withinthe rivet hole between the new tooth 12 and the saw body 10. The userthen places the apparatus 100 about the tooth 12 in the correctalignment with the locator pins 130. The desired position of thecylinder 140 is selected by rotating the cylinder 140 to align theanvils with the rivet 18. The first body 110 is then tightened to thesecond body 120 with the fastener 112. The user then uses a wrench orsimilar tool to tighten one or both of the anvils against the rivet 18,which acts to enlarge or flare the exposed head of the rivet 18, therebyretaining it in place between the tooth 12 and the saw body 10.

Other features of the invention of this disclosure may be apparent toone having skill in the art by viewing FIGS. 2-15 provided herein. Allsuch features, functionality, or uses, while not explicitly describedherein, are considered within the scope of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 16-17D are drawings of an apparatus 200 for removing andinstalling slasher teeth in a saw, which is a variation in design fromthe apparatus 100, in accordance with the first exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure. In particular, FIGS. 16-17D illustrate anotherembodiment of the apparatus 100 discussed relative to FIGS. 2-15, wheremany of the same components and features of the apparatus 100 areincluded in the apparatus 200 of FIG. 16-17D. It is noted that thedescription of the relevant and/or common features of the apparatus 100in FIGS. 2-15 applies to the apparatus 200 in FIGS. 16-17D, thedescription of which is not reproduced for clarity in disclosure.

Unlike the apparatus 100 of FIGS. 2-15, the apparatus 200 of FIGS.16-17D includes a hinged design whereby a hinge 202 is connected betweenthe first and second bodies 210, 220, such as to form a clam shelldesign. In this design, the apparatus 200 may be hingedly opened tocreate a gap 204 between the first and second bodies 210, 220. With theenlarged gap 204, as shown in FIG. 16, the apparatus 200 may be placedon a saw blade (FIGS. 17C-17D) relative to a tooth 12 (FIG. 17C) in thesame manner as described relative to FIGS. 2-15. When the apparatus 200is positioned about the slasher tooth 12 of the saw blade 10, as shownin FIGS. 17B-17D, the first and second bodies 210, 220 of the apparatus200 may be closed and locked into place, such as with a fastener 212 orsimilar structure, which can be retained by a clasp 214 connected to thefirst body 210. For example, as shown in FIG. 17A, the clasp 214 may bepivotal such that it can be swiveled to the side when the fastener 212head is moved through the first body 210 at which point the clasp 214can be swiveled to catch the head of the fastener 212 in a groove ornotch of the clasp 214.

Additionally, whereas the apparatus 100 includes a rotatable cylinder140, the apparatus 200 does not have a rotatable cylinder because a usercan switch between compression and extraction positions of the rivetsimply by rotating the device about the saw blade 10. As such, theapparatus 200 can utilize one or more engagement devices 250 which canbe used to compress or extract a rivet, similar to as described relativeto FIGS. 2-15. When a user desires to extract a rivet, he or she canposition the apparatus 200 over the saw blade 10 and in the correctposition relative to the rivet 18B (FIG. 1A). The correct position maybe achieved with one or more locator pins 230 which align with one ormore holes within the slasher tooth 12. The user then engages theengagement device 250 to provide a compressive force on the rivet anddrive it out of the hole within the slasher tooth 12 of the saw blade10.

When the user desires to reinsert a new rivet, he or she can remove thefastener 212 and flip the apparatus 200 180°, such that an engagementdevice 250 can be aligned with the rivet to compress and deform it intoa stationary position between the saw blade and the tooth. Thus, whenthe apparatus 200 is positioned on the saw blade, one path of theengagement device is in line with a knockout screw to remove a rivet,and when the apparatus 200 is flipped, another engagement device 250 isin line with the rivet for compression. The apparatus 200 may alsoinclude any of the other features discussed relative to FIGS. 2-15, suchas one or more alignment devices 216, which can contact the underside ofthe slasher tooth 12 or the saw body 10 to prevent torsion or otherforces when the force is applied against the rivet by the engagementdevice 250.

The operation of the apparatus 200 is next described relative to FIG.18. As shown, FIG. 18 is a labeled illustration of the apparatus forremoving and installing slasher teeth in a saw of FIGS. 16-17D, inaccordance with the first exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Operation of the apparatus 200 can be achieved using anAllen wrench with a drive ratchet, such as a ⅜ Allen connected to a ½″drive ratchet. No other devices are required to operate the apparatus200.

Instructions for Rivet Removal:

Holding apparatus 200 in left hand-position, swivel hook side on theright. With the right hand, open the apparatus 200 such that the CommonPin (#1) should be located on left hand side. Insert Common Pin #1 intoCommon Hole of saw tooth shank to be removed. At the same time, positionSpring Activated Tooth Pin #2 beneath carbide-and confirm Knock Out pin#6 is aligned with rivet. Holding the apparatus 200 now against side ofblade, close clam shell and swing Locking Hook #3 into position toenable a clamp function. Confirm Compression Screws #5 are not incontact yet with Tooth saw shoulder when tightening Locking Bolt #4.Insert ⅜″ Allen wrench socket attached to the ½″ Drive Ratchet andtighten the Locking Bolt #4. Then insert ⅜″ Allen wrench into rivetCompression screws #5, one at a time, and snug each against tooth. Thesaw shoulder should act as another clamp, which prevents twisting of theapparatus 200 when forces are applied to the knockout screw into rivet.Insert ⅜″ Allen wrench into rivet Knockout Pin screw #6 and begin toscrew in hex head screw forcing pin to push out the rivet. When that iscompleted, unscrew Knock Out screw #6 enough to position for next toothremoval with no contact at beginning again. Then unscrew Locking Bolt #4enough to swing Locking Hook #3 and open the apparatus 200. Proceed tostart position for next tooth to be removed. The rivet compressionscrews should be checked, backed off and snug in again, to clamp and toprevent twisting of the apparatus 200 on next tooth to be removed.

Instructions for Installing New Teeth:

Insert a new Kodiak style tooth in pocket with rivet hole halves matchedto now have the needed ¼″ circular hole without contact-breaking thecarbide. Insert new rivet with the pre flared head (on the same side asthe apparatus 200's shank Common Pin) into the rivet hole. Open theapparatus 200, place Common Pin #1 into Common hole of saw tooth shankto be removed. At same time, position Spring Tooth Pin #2 beneath thecarbide tip, close the clam shell and swing Locking Hook #3 intoposition to enable a clamp function. Insert ⅜″ Allen into Locking Bolt#4 and tighten. Confirm the apparatus 200 did not move and Spring ToothPin #2 is beneath and against the tooth shank. Then snug rivetCompression screw #5 on flared head of rivet with ⅜″ Allen wrench. Thenon other side (Barrel side), insert ⅜″ Allen wrench into rivetCompression screw #5 and tighten to about 50 pounds of torque. This willcause the rivet to mushroom out to about ⅜″. With rivet now flared outenough, unscrew compression screws to neutral position for next rivet tobe flared. Insert ⅜″ Allen into Locking Bolt #4 and unscrew ¼ turn torelease Locking Hook #3 open the apparatus 200.

While FIGS. 2-17 describe the process of removing the rivet 18 from thetooth 12 and saw 10, FIGS. 19-20C are illustrations of an apparatus 300for withdrawing a slasher tooth 12 from a pocket 14 of a saw 10, inaccordance with a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.With reference first to FIG. 19, the apparatus 300 for withdrawing thetooth includes a handle 302 which is attached to a forked portion 304.The forked portion 304 extends away from the handle 302 and has a gapbetween the two portions forming the forked portion 304. Within themiddle of the forked portion 304, e.g., within the gap, is a floatingshank positioner 306 which is pivotally connected to the forked portion304 proximate to the terminating end thereof, such as with a pivotshoulder bolt. It also has a threaded adjustment device 308 connected toan opposing end of the floating shank positioner 306. The threadedadjustment device 308 may be implemented as a thumb screw which providesheight adjustment of the floating shank positioner 306 relative to thecavity 11 of the saw body 10, which allows for the apparatus 300 tofunction on a variety of differently sized saw bodies 10 withdifferently sized cavities 11 or slasher teeth 12. The apparatus 300further includes at least one common hole 310 formed through the forkedportion 304 in a location near the terminating ends thereof. This commonhole 310 allows for insertion of a removable pin 312 which ispositionable through the aperture at the distal end of the tooth shank.As shown in FIG. 19, the pin 312 may be a common screwdriver which has acylindrical shank that can fit through the aperture within the tooth. Inone of many alternatives, the pin 312 may be a bolt or anothercylindrical implement.

FIGS. 20A-20C illustrate the apparatus 300 in use. In FIG. 20A, theapparatus 300 is positioned over the saw body 10 and substantially overthe cavity 11 within the saw body 10 which is positioned proximate tothe saw body pocket 14 with the slasher tooth 12 positioned therein. Ascan be seen, in this position the floating shank positioner 306 islocated such that the end of the threaded adjustment device 308 cancontact the outer, radial edge of the saw body 10 within the cavity 11thereof. This allows for proper height adjustment of the apparatus 300.Next, as shown in FIG. 20B, the handle 302 is moved to position theforked portion 304 substantially over the slasher tooth 12 until a pin312 can be inserted through the common hole 310 within the apparatus 300and within the hole from the removed rivet 18B (FIG. 1A) within thetooth 12. The pin 312 locks the apparatus 300 to the slasher tooth 12.As shown in FIG. 20C, as the user applies pressure to the handle 310 ina direction away from the slasher tooth 12, the end of the threadedadjustment device 308 contacts the cavity 11 of the saw body 10. Thisacts as a pivot point for the apparatus 300, which allows the force onthe handle 302 to leverage pin 312 radially outwards along the saw body10. This movement of the pin 312 transfers the force to the slashertooth 12 which causes it to withdraw from the saw body pocket 14. Fromhere, the slasher tooth 12 may be completely removed from the saw bodypocket 14 and the pin 312 removed therefrom. The apparatus 300 can thenbe used, if desired, to install a new slasher tooth 12 within the sawbody 10 with the reverse steps as described herein.

It should be noted that any process descriptions or blocks in flowcharts should be understood as representing modules, segments, or stepsthat include one or more instructions for implementing specific logicalfunctions in the process, and alternate implementations are includedwithin the scope of the present disclosure in which functions may beexecuted out of order from that shown or discussed, includingsubstantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on thefunctionality involved, as would be understood by those reasonablyskilled in the art of the present disclosure.

It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments of thepresent disclosure, particularly, any “preferred” embodiments, aremerely possible examples of implementations, merely set forth for aclear understanding of the principles of the disclosure. Many variationsand modifications may be made to the above-described embodiment(s) ofthe disclosure without departing substantially from the spirit andprinciples of the disclosure. All such modifications and variations areintended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure andthe present disclosure and protected by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for withdrawing a slasher tooth froma pocket of a saw, the apparatus comprising: a handle; a forked portionconnected to one end of the handle, wherein a gap is formed between twoprongs of the forked portion; a floating shank positioner positioned atleast partially within the gap; and at least one common hole formedthrough the two prongs of the forked portion, wherein when the slashertooth is connected to the at least one common hole, pivoting of thehandle removes the slasher tooth from the pocket of the saw.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the floating shank positioner is pivotallyconnected to the forked portion.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a threaded adjustment device connected to the floating shankpositioner, wherein the threaded adjustment device provides a heightadjustment of the floating shank positioner relative to a cavity of thesaw.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the floating shank positionerfurther comprises a thumb screw.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein anend of the threaded adjustment device contacts an outer, radial edge ofthe saw.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one commonhole is formed through the forked portion in a location near aterminating end of the forked portion.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6,further comprising at least one pin which is insertable through the atleast one common hole and an aperture in the slasher tooth, wherein theat least one pin removably connects the slasher tooth to the at leastone common hole.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least onepin is removably positioned within an aperture at a distal end of theslasher tooth.
 9. A system for withdrawing a slasher tooth from a pocketof a slasher saw, the system comprising: a slasher saw having a saw bodywith at least one slasher tooth positioned within at least one saw bodypocket of the slasher saw; an apparatus for withdrawing the slashertooth from the saw body pocket of the slasher saw, the apparatus having:a handle; a forked portion connected to one end of the handle, wherein agap is formed between two prongs of the forked portion; a floating shankpositioner positioned at least partially within the gap; and at leastone common hole formed through the two prongs of the forked portion; andat least one pin connectable between the slasher tooth and the prongs ofthe forked portion through the at least one common hole, wherein whenthe slasher tooth is connected to the prongs, pivoting of the handleremoves the slasher tooth from the saw body pocket.
 10. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the floating shank positioner is pivotally connected tothe forked portion.
 11. The system of claim 9, further comprising athreaded adjustment device connected to the floating shank positioner,wherein the threaded adjustment device provides a height adjustment ofthe floating shank positioner relative to a cavity of the saw body. 12.The system of claim 11, wherein the floating shank positioner furthercomprises a thumb screw.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein an end ofthe threaded adjustment device contacts an outer, radial edge of the sawbody.
 14. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one common hole isformed through the forked portion in a location near a terminating endof the forked portion.
 15. The system of claim 14, further comprising atleast one pin which is insertable through the at least one common holeand an aperture in the slasher tooth, wherein the at least one pinremovably connects the slasher tooth to the at least one common hole.16. A method of withdrawing a slasher tooth from a pocket of a slashersaw, the system comprising: providing a slasher saw having a saw bodywith at least one slasher tooth positioned within at least one saw bodypocket of the slasher saw; providing an apparatus for withdrawing theslasher tooth from the saw body pocket of the slasher saw, the apparatushaving: a handle; a forked portion connected to one end of the handle,wherein a gap is formed between two prongs of the forked portion; afloating shank positioner positioned at least partially within the gap;and at least one common hole formed through the two prongs of the forkedportion; connecting at least one pin between the slasher tooth and theprongs of the forked portion; and pivoting of the handle relative to theslasher saw, thereby removing the slasher tooth from the saw bodypocket.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising pivotallyconnecting the floating shank positioner to the forked portion.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising the step of adjusting a height ofthe floating shank positioner relative to a cavity of the saw body witha threaded adjustment device connected to the floating shank positioner.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising contacting an end of thethreaded adjustment device to an outer, radial edge of the saw body. 20.The method of claim 16, wherein connecting the at least one pin betweenthe slasher tooth and the prongs of the forked portion comprisespositioning the at least one pin in at least one common hole formedthrough the forked portion and an aperture in the slasher tooth.